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Opossums
While there are more than 60 different species of possum, the opossum holds the distinction of being North America's only marsupial. The Virginia opossum, or common opossum, is the only marsupial found in the United States and Canada. So what are you waiting for? Enter this category and find out more about the differences an O can make!
374 Questions
No. Possums do not eat rats.
Possums' feeding habits range from omnivores (the Common Brushtail possum) to specialist browsers of eucalyptus (Greater Glider), insectivores (Mountain Pygmy Possum) and nectar-feeders (Honey Possum).
In the wild, they eat young shoots, leaves, flowers, nectar and fruit of a variety of trees and shrubs. They also feed on insects. They do not eat fish or other mammals.
Note: Possums are quite different animals from the 'opossums' of North America.
yes . opossums are considered as small animals . weasels eat small animals .
How hard does an opossum bite?
very strong! they have 50 teeth and it takes a lot to make them let go.
Opossums would be most dangerous to cat than humans because opossums when near a human would usually drop and play dead because they are afraid of us. However, for cats thy might actually fight them because of their size but, you never know if they will be scared of cats as well.
Opossum are shy and fearful, they are not aggressive. When I find one wounded in my yard, I can pick it up by the tail and put it in a carrier for transport to a vet. Yes, they hiss or open their mouth when cornered, but only out of defense. They keep your yard clean of snails and slugs and other crawly critters. They eat almost exclusively vegetation, or fruit that has dropped or which they can reach in trees. Snails, slugs, beetles, etc. They may have teeth and can bite, but not to "go after" anything as large as cats or dogs. That is a myth. If your cat was killed outside, it was most likely a coyote, a dog or a fox, depending on your area. If it was eaten, it was probably a coyote. In addition, an opossum is not a large rat at all, just because they have a similar tail. That tail is strong and acts as a fifth hand when climbing. Their tail is not strong enough to hang from tree branches. Rats are rodents. Opossum are marsupials and carry their young in a pouch, like kangaroos. They have very poor eyesight, but good hearing. They are night creatures and should be left alone. Those who shoot them, torture and kill them are clearly cowards and abusers. There is no excuse, they are not a threat at all to you or your pets. I have cats, opossum, skunks and raccoons in my yard all at the same time and nothing happens.
no. they like only things that are sweet or smell good and they also like bugs not acorns.
Although the Opossum in America has a "rat-like" tail, they are marsupials. They have pouches to carry their young in, similar to the famous kangaroo or koala. Upon closer inspection, their tail is different from a rat's along with their fur. Their tail is able to be controlled and has a grip on it, and is quite strong.
Opossums are omnivores, eating both meat and vegetation although different species vary the amount of each in their diet.
Are opossums placental mammals?
No, opossums are marsupials. The young develop in the mother's pouch.
Opossums are generally very docile creatures and are nocturnal (come out at night) but in city life you may see them in the day if you have a wooded area around your home. They seldom attack cats or dogs (unless cornered) and prefer to eat slugs, fruit on that has fallen on the ground, cat and dog food that has been left out. If you approach an Opossum they will hiss to scare their predators away. If it still feels threatened it will try to run off. Sometimes Opossums will 'play dead' where it will fall over, gums turn white and they void their bowels which is very foul smelling and deters any predator. Opossums seldom have rabies. It is best to bring your cat indoors during the evening as Raccoons will prey on cats as well as coyotes if you have them in your area.
Can you get rabies if a dog ate opossum then bit you?
The answer is NO, unless the dog is infected with it and it bites or scratches you. You can't get rabies with swallowing it.
Its their defense mechanism because many predators will only eat what they kill and will not eat what appears already dead.
Why would someone pull out their hair?
You might pull your hair out because you get stressed out too much. Maybe you should relax and just CHILL! You know what I'm saying. It can also be a form of self mutliation like some people scratch or cut themselves on purpose. It is a sign of stress and a could be a partial break-down. The person wants to feel like they are alive because they have become void of feeling.
Symbolically what does it mean to find a dead possum in the basement?
It means you're a dirty person and you need to clean your basement.
How does the opossum protect itself with its quills?
opossums do not have quills. You are thinking of the porcupine.
Can an opossum die from a snake bite?
Yes, opossums of the tribe Didelphini can eat rattlesnakes and other pitvipers (such as Copperheads and Cottonmouths) with impunity. These opossums appear not to take behavioral precautions when subduing these dangerous snakes, and they are often bitten in the process. Their immunity derives from endogenous venom resistance. Rapid adaptive evolution of the gene encoding the von Willebrand Factor (vWF), a venom-targeted hemostatic blood protein, include changes in net charge and hydrophobicity that are hypothesized to weaken the bond between vWF and one of its toxic snake-venom ligands, the C-type lectin-like protein botrocetin.
For more see:
Werner RM, Vick JA (1977) Resistance of the opossum (Didelphis virginiana) to envenomation by snakes of the family Crotalidae. Toxicon 15:29-32
and
Jansa SA, Voss RS (2011) Adaptive evolution of the venom-targeted vWF protein in opossums that eat pitvipers. PLoS ONE 6:e20997
How many babies can an Opossum have at once?
Possums generally give birth to just a single joey (baby possum) at a time. Most species breed just once a year, although smaller species of gliders may breed more than once every year.
Are opossums threatened or endangered?
Brushtailed possums are not at all dangerous. They are very docile creatures and just want to be left alone. If trapped, like any other animal, they become scared for their life and will defend themselves. They are a very clean, disease free animal, although they are known to harbour ticks and fleas, and pose more of a danger to domestic pets than to people.
How does the male opossum mate with the female opossum?
Yes, opossums have intercourse. Males' penises split in the middle, making a "Y" shape. This is because females have two vaginas, leading to two separate uteruses, and the males must fertilize each one. After a gestation period of two weeks, the babies are born, helpless. They must climb up to the nipple, where they remain attached all the time until the become big enough to leave it, enter the bigger world, and eventually be weaned.
Opossums grow their whole life. Unfortunately, in the wild most opossums only live a year or two. The largest opossums would be about the size of a normal house cat.
How does an opossum use its tail?
Possums use their tail to help balance. The tail is prehensile, and can curl around objects for support, but cannot grasp objects; it can only help steady the possum as it dashes along narrow branches and wires.
Dehiscent the mature overy wall (pericarp) breaks open therby freeing the seeds. Indehiscent seeds remain in the fruit after the fruit has ben shed from the parent plant.
